Baroness Doocey – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Doocey on 2016-01-26.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what progress they have made in implementing the reforms to the National Referral Mechanism; and whether they will publish the names of the independent chairs of the multi-disciplinary panels.

Lord Bates

The National Referral Mechanism (NRM) pilot commenced in August 2015 and in the period up to 40 cases have been considered by the multi-disciplinary panels. 33 of these cases were from potential victims identified in West Yorkshire, and 7 from potential victims identified in the South West.

We anticipate the pilot will run for 12 months following which decisions will be made about the future of the NRM to better identify and support all victims of modern slavery. In reaching these decisions we will consult with key partners including the police, local authorities and the NHS.

The names of the independent chairs of the multi-disciplinary panels have been published and can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/review-of-the-national-referral-mechanism-for-victims-of-human-trafficking/pilot-evaluating-the-proposed-reforms-to-the-national-referral-mechanism